Wave of Past
by Yet to be Broken
Summary: Everything is going great.  Percy and Annabeth are together, and once again they are at camp.  Thalia, Grover, Nico, and even Rachel are all there.  But Annabeth and Thalia are having strange dreams and visions that lead them to one of their least favorite places - The Underworld.  With so many things going on, Percy and Annabeth will never be the same, and neither will anyone else
1. A Safe Arrival

"Percy? Percy, are you okay?" I called out through the darkness.

"Yeah. Are you?" He called back. His voice wasn't too distant; Percy was close.

"I don't think so. I can't move my ankle." I replied.

I could barely hear him sigh. "Just keep talking, Annabeth. I need to follow the sound of your voice."

"Wait! I – I think I have a flashlight in my bag…" I said, feeling around inside my bag. Yes! It was there. I turned on the flashlight to see the Percy was almost right next to me.

Then I noticed my ankle was bent in the wrong direction. "Ew. That's creepy." Percy said, also seeing my ankle.

I rolled my eyes. As cute as he was, Percy could be _so _stupid sometimes. "Yeah. Do you have any ambrosia?" I asked.

"I think so… here it is." He said, taking a Ziploc bag filled with crushed ambrosia out of his pocket.

"Wow. That looks _really_ appetizing." I remarked sarcastically. But I led him feed me a little bit of it. It tasted good, like peanut butter and vanilla ice cream.

I flinched as I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. That was the healing power of the ambrosia working its magic. "Ow." I said. But my ankle soon felt better and I could move it again.

"You okay?" Percy said, tucking a strand of my curly blonde hair behind my ear.

"Yeah, I should be able to walk again in a few minutes." I told him, poking my ankle.

"That's good. Do you think we're still being chased?" Percy asked. I could tell he was a little bit scared.

"No, but we need to get to camp. Soon." I said with urgency.

"We can catch a taxi as soon as you can walk on your ankle." He assured me.

"Alright." I said, glancing around nervously.

"Why so jumpy, Annabeth?" Percy asked me.

"I'm always jumpy. You should know that." I told him, smiling.

"Not always." Percy said, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I know that you're not _always_ jumpy. You sleep pretty peacefully." Percy replied, his sea green eyes looking into mine. I felt my face get hot.

"And you would know that _how_?" I asked, raising his eyebrows.

He obviously did want to answer, because instead of speaking, he kissed me. When we broke away, I laughed and said, "Nice try. You still have to answer, Seaweed Brain."

"How many quests have we been on together? You fall asleep pretty quickly." Percy grinned.

"You watch me while I sleep? I swear, once I can walk, I am going to _kill_ you!" I said.

"I'm pretty sure you'll be able to stand up now." Percy told me, helping me to my feet.

"Yeah, it's fine." I said to Percy.

He kept his arm around me. "I can walk by myself, Seaweed Brain. You can let go." I said.

"I don't want to." He pouted.

I rolled my eyes. "Nobody's stopping you."

He smiled like the idiot he was. He hailed a taxi and soon we were riding down the road, me asleep with my head resting on his shoulder.

I wish all of my dreams were sweet. I wish that this one could be, at least. I've had it a million times before, and it'll haunt me until my death; I knew it. And I didn't like it.

I could swear I could smell the smoke burning and feel the cold air. I wondered if all these spirits could sense that I was there. Other than him.

"Annabeth…" I could hear him moan. It was Luke.

"Luke! Luke, where are you?" I called out.

"Annabeth…" He moaned.

I continued calling out to him, but to no avail. I don't think he knew that I could hear his desperate moans. This dream would continue, me searching amongst the souls for my lost friend, him calling out to me.

Percy shook me awake. "Annabeth, we're here."

I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked out the window. Strawberry farms. I was home.

"Let's go." I said.

"Wait! I gotta pay!" Percy said, motioning toward the cab driver.

"Oh yeah." I said, blushing.

I got out of the smelly taxi and waited for Percy to finish paying. Then he grabbed my hand and dragged me towards Camp Half-Blood.

When we had run over the hill and through the magic borders that protected camp, we spotted Clarisse sitting with her boyfriend, Chris Rodriguez. "Hi Clarisse!" I called, waving.

Clarisse wasn't as stressed as she normally was; I could tell. She hadn't been for awhile, but she was still upset over the death of Silena Beauregard. Clarisse looked at me and waved back. She then saw Percy, muttered something that I couldn't hear, and then went back to talking to Chris. "She's in a good mood." Percy stated.

"Yeah, I noticed. Very uncharacteristic, don't you think?" I asked.

"I guess." Percy replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Let's go see Chiron." I said, pulling Percy towards the archery range, where I knew Chiron was.

The centaur galloped over, a quiver of arrows and a bow on his back. "Annabeth! Perseus! You got here safely. That's very good. We were starting to worry. Even Mr. D was asking about you two."

Percy tried to hide a little smile. "Even Mr. D?"

Chiron grinned at him. "Yes, Percy, even Mr. D."

"Okay, enough about Mr. D! Chiron! Is something wrong with camp? I got your message, and…" I began. I had been worried sick that something was wrong at camp.

"No, Annabeth. Everything is fine. Follow me. You two, Percy." Chiron began to trot towards the cabins.

I wondered why he was heading into the Artemis cabin… unless…

"Thalia!' I exclaimed, embracing my old friend in a hug.

"Hey, Annabeth. Hello, Percy." Thalia greeted us. "Thank you, Chiron."

"You're welcome. Now if you would excuse me, I'm sure that Mr. D would like to hear about your safe arrival." Chiron smiled and walked out the door.

Thalia smiled at Percy. "How are you Percy? I trust your taking care of Annabeth?" Percy turned bright red.

"Who…" I started.

"Clarisse told me. But the word would've gotten to me eventually. Man, I wish I could've been one of those little spies…" Thalia laughed, hugging Percy. "But I'm happy for you two."

My face felt extremely hot, and Percy was very red. Even Thalia was a little pink. Ever since she had joined the Hunters of Artemis, she had to give up boys. But that didn't mean she couldn't tease Percy and me. And I could tell she was going to be teasing us for a _long_ time.


	2. More About the Dreams

"Chapter 2

"So Thalia, why are you here?" Percy asked.

Thalia smiled. "How do you know I didn't come here simply so that I could gush about you two? It's exciting!"

"Yeah, right. You wouldn't leave the Hunt to come be happy for us." I replied.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "You know me too well, Annabeth. I'm actually here to ask you a question. Percy, could I have a word with Annabeth alone?"

Percy nodded and rushed out the door. He was probably going to Iris-message Tyson. "What do you need?" I asked.

Thalia hugged me. "I can't believe you and Percy…"

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing her eyes were a little wet.

"My little Annabeth is growing up. I look at you and still see that little 7-year-old girl fighting monsters with a hammer." Thalia said.

"Oh, Thalia, you know that I'm still the same girl." I said. "But you said you had a question for me?"

"Have you been having the dreams too?" The question shocked me.

"The ones… about Luke?" I asked.

Thalia nodded. "What are they like, Annabeth?"

I sighed. "It's like I'm lost in a crowd of spirits of people I know or knew once, and I can hear him calling out to me. But I can never find him. I've been having these dreams ever since he died."

"I have the exact same dream. He just calls out my name." Thalia shivered. "I've told Lady Artemis about the dream, and she said it must be a sign of some sort."

"Well, you've done better than me. I haven't told anyone about the dreams." I told her.

"Not even Percy?" Thalia inquired.

I had wanted to tell him. But what would he have said? It was just odd. "No. Should I?"

"In my opinion, yes. He deserves to know. I've already told Chiron; we need a quest." Thalia said, looking into the beyond.

* * *

><p>Percy had to sit all by himself at dinner. I look at Chiron with pleading eyes, and he whispered something into Mr. D's ear. Mr. D rolled his eyes and nodded. I got up and brought my olive pizza over to Percy's table. "Hey Percy." I smiled.<p>

"Hey." He said, looking at his pizza.

"What's wrong?" I asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you're hiding something from me. What is it?" He looked me in the eye.

"Percy, I'll tell you later. It's nothing serious." I assured him.

"Alright. I'll talk to you in my cabin after the campfire." He told me.

"Are you crazy? I'm not allowed to…" I realized I was yelling.

Chiron nodded at me. I suppose he heard what Percy requested. "Okay. Your cabin after the campfire." I said quietly.

Then I stared at my pizza. What was it Thalia had said? I'm growing up? It was hard to tell. I don't feel any different than I had before, or any more grown up. I could still remember what it felt like to be running from monsters, not knowing who or what I was. Until I met Thalia and Luke. Until I met Luke…

"Annabeth? Now you look upset." Percy said, putting his arm around me.

I blushed when I noticed that some people from my cabin were watching. And so was Thalia, and some other campers. I had a feeling that this conversation was no longer private. "Percy." I whispered.

"Yes?" He said.

"Later." I replied, pushing his arm off my shoulder.

Percy turned bright red. "Sorry." He muttered. "Didn't know we were being watched."

"How could you not notice?" I questioned.

He turned a deeper red. "Tell ya later."

I looked around. We had lost our viewers. "Okay. See ya then." I said, kissing him on the nose.

* * *

><p>The campfire was boring that night. We sang songs, talked, and let Mr. D tell a few ghost stories. Nothing new. I didn't know how I was going to explain these dreams to Percy. He told me about his vision-dreams… How hard could it be?<p>

I snuck off to the Poseidon cabin. When I reached it, I knocked on the door. "Hang on. I'm changing." Percy's voice was muffled by the door.

"Changing what?" I asked.

"None of your business." He replied.

"But I'm your girlfriend!" I pouted.

I think that that was the first time I had actually said that. I mean, it was a known fact, but had I actually said, "I am his girlfriend"? I didn't think so.

"Can I come in yet?" I knocked on the door again.

Percy opened the door and smiled. "Hey beautiful."

I punched him on the arm. "Shut up."

I liked how his cabin smelled. Like salt water. He took my hand led me into the cabin. I liked what he did since the last time I had entered. It was somewhat clean (I tried to ignore the boxers on the floor), and he had some sea green beanbag chairs on the floor next to his salt water fountain. "Take a seat." Percy said.

I sat on one of beanbag chairs, and he moved a chair next to me and sat. "So how've you been?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "You expect this to be a regular thing?"

"I'd like it to be." He moved just a little closer to me.

I smiled and blushed. "I suppose I could work something out with Chiron."

Percy moved closer so that our shoulders were touching. "That's good."

He tried to kiss me, but I stopped him.

"What's wrong, Annabeth?" He asked.

"Can't we talk first?" I pleaded.

He pouted. "Fine. So, what's that thing you're hiding from me?"

"When you put it like that I feel guilty." I stated. "But… I've been having these dreams. And Thalia's having them too. I really need to do something about it."

Percy nodded in understanding. "What are the dreams about?"

"They're always the same. I'm always lost in a crowd of spirits of people I know… or knew." I started.

"Am I one of them?" Percy asked.

"I never pay attention, really. I just recognize some faces." I replied. "But amongst all this… I can hear Luke's voice. Like he's calling to me from the Underworld. He's just moaning my name… over and over again. But of all the spirits, I can't find his anywhere."

Percy put a hand on my shoulder. "What do you need to do about it?"

"I… I think we should talk to Thalia about this, first of all. She's been having the same dream." I nodded my head. "That's what we should…"

Percy kissed me. I didn't hear Thalia knock on the door… or open it when no one responded. "Oh my gods!" Thalia exclaimed, turning red.

Percy and I quickly jumped to our feet. "Thalia!" Percy exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Guys, I…" Thalia started.

"It's okay, really." I said, putting an arm around Percy. "You're not the first to do that."

"We actually needed to talk to you." Percy said.

Thalia walked towards us. "You told him?" She asked, looking directly at me.

"Yeah." I said.

"That's good. Any ideas? Either of you? We need to make this stop." Thalia stated.

Percy suddenly became very interested in the floor. "Got a thought, Perseus?" I asked.

"Yeah. What if the dreams are a trap? I can't let anything happen to either of you, especially Annabeth." Percy said pushing my arm off his shoulders. "I can't lose you."

I knew exactly how he felt. When he was blasted all the way to Ogygia, the island of Calypso, I thought I had lost him forever. When he came back, I knew exactly where he had been. And mad as I was, I was glad he came back for me. Or at least, I was pretty sure it was for me.

"And what if it's not a trap, Percy? I have to find out." I pleaded with him.

Thalia interrupted. "Um, guys? I think I have an idea."


	3. A Quest

Percy looked at her, utterly surprised. "What?"

"I said, I have an…" Thalia began again, confused.

"No, I heard what you said, but what's the idea?" Percy said.

"Annabeth, do you think that actually _talking_ to Luke would help?" Thalia looked into my eyes, which were avoiding hers.

I looked at Percy, who slowly nodded his head. "Yeah. I think that might help." I replied.

"Great. I'll go talk to Chiron." Thalia said excitedly, rushing out of the room.

Percy asked me if I'd like to sit again, but I said I needed go back to my cabin. "You can't spare me just a few moments?" He asked.

"Why? I need to get back…" I replied.

"Fine. Goodnight." He said, obviously disappointed. To make him feel better, I kissed him.

We probably didn't break apart for a good 7 or 8 seconds. When we did, I said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Percy."

I walked out of the cabin and quietly rushed over to the Athena cabin. I opened the door to find that my entire cabin was awake and waiting for me. "Where've you been, Annabeth?" One of the boys, Kalvin Brown, asked, laughing.

"None of your business." I muttered, climbing onto my bunk.

The girls all began to giggle. "I swear, you guys are worse than the Aphrodite cabin." I told them all. "Now, c'mon, lights out."

* * *

><p>I fell asleep quickly, which meant more time for that stupid dream to haunt me tonight. And indeed, I was back. But tonight, I was determined to pay attention to the spirits around me. I saw them all – my father, Athena, Thalia, Grover… And I did finally see Percy. But I didn't see Luke anywhere. I could hear him, calling out to me desperately. I needed to see him – soon.<p>

* * *

><p>I woke up in the morning to my bunk shaking. My bunkmate, Lydia Anderson, was shaking it to wake me up, just like she always did. It really did feel like home here. I looked at what I was wearing and realized that I had slept in my clothes. Oh well, at least I did have to change. I loved my orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. It was the only thing I really had to keep me close to camp during the school year. Other than Percy.<p>

"Good morning, Annabeth." One of the guys said.

A girl laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't sneak out early to go "talk" to Percy."

I glared at everyone. "I did have Chiron's permission, and it was actually something about a _quest_. So back off about the whole "Me and Percy" thing."

I jumped off my bunk and went over to the stables. I thought maybe Percy would be there, but he wasn't. Then I remembered that I was in charge of the cabin inspections today. Oh, joy. Perhaps Percy would agree to help me. I went to breakfast. After a few words, we all said, "To the gods!" and proceeded with our little offering. I really hoped Athena likes Cheerios as much as I do.

I sat next to Percy again. Mr. D looked over at us and raised his eyebrows, but he didn't say or do anything. Thalia joined us, which I was glad for. "I talked to Chiron this morning." Thalia told us.

"And?" I asked.

"We can leave as soon as we get everything figured out." Thalia said, smiling.

"Well, what is there really to figure out? We go to the Underworld, talk to Luke, come back and hope it works." Percy said, looking at Thalia like she was the idiot.

"C'mon, Seaweed Brain, you've been to the Underworld. How to we get there, how do we find Luke, and how in the world do we get out?" I said, rolling my eyes.

A voice behind me said, "I think I can help you with that."

I turned around, as did Thalia and Percy. "Nico!" Thalia said excitedly. "How are you?"

Nico looked at Percy and said, "Just fine. I heard Percy and Annabeth were back at camp, and I wanted to see if… the rumors were true."

I was about to ask what rumors, but Percy kissed my nose and said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're true."

I punched Percy. "Pretty sure? According to what I saw last night…" Thalia started, laughing.

Both Percy and I turned fire truck red. "Shut _up_, Thalia Grace!" I hissed.

Nico looked at me, confused. "What did she see last night?" He asked.

I glared at Thalia until she said, "It was nothing, Nico. Just a little kiss."

Nico laughed. "Oh yeah, I heard you guys got thrown into the canoe lake by Clarisse."

I looked at Percy. Him being able to control water and all that, we had sat in a little bubble at the bottom and kissed for a while. "Yeah." I said. "We got thrown in."

Nico raised his eyebrows. "So, if Percy's the son of Poseidon, and he can, like, stay underwater for a long time…"

"Okay, let's talk about that quest! You know, the one to the Underworld? To stop these weird dreams?" Thalia changed the subject.

"Nico, you said you could help us?" I asked.

"Yeah. You ever used shadow travel, Annabeth?" Nico looked at me.

I racked my brain. Shadow travel sounded familiar… "No, but I've heard of it. I'm guessing you've been hanging out with Mrs. O'Leary, haven't you?"

Nico nodded. "Getting in and out of the Underworld shouldn't be hard for her. Finding Luke might be a little bit trickier, but we can definitely do it."

Thalia looked at all three of us. "So, do we have a quest?"

Percy and I looked at each other, then at Thalia. "I think we do." I said.


	4. The Oracle

After breakfast, Percy, Thalia and I decided to ride Pegasi. I hadn't ridden much so Percy was giving me lessons. "You just have to stay calm and the Pegasus will know what they need to do." Percy told me, helping me mount a white Pegasus. "Now be good, Stardust." He instructed the Pegasus.

I waited for him to mount Blackjack and for Thalia to find a Pegasus as well. Then we all took off. "Hey, could you please just follow Blackjack?" I whispered into Stardust's ear.

She whinnied, which I hoped was a yes, and then pulled up alongside Blackjack and Percy. "Wow, Annabeth, you're getting better at this."

I smiled. "Yeah, I suppose I…"

Thalia came up behind me, "Um, guys? Chiron is down at the stables. I think he needs us to some down."

We all flew down. When we got to the stables, I did indeed notice that Chiron seemed to be waiting for something. "Ah, hello. I have been instructed to not let you leave until tomorrow."

Percy helped me dismount. "What? Why?" Thalia said. "We are completely ready."

"I actually think there is one more person who may be useful on your quest." Chiron said, glancing at Percy and me.

"Wait a minute. You mean Rachel?" I demanded.

"Yes, the Oracle. She will be at camp by sundown." Chiron told us.

Percy suddenly became very interested in the ground. He had never told me, but I knew that something had happened between Rachel and Percy. I didn't know what, but I intended to find out.

Thalia looked confused. "I don't think I remember a Rachel."

"Dear girl, Rachel was a mortal with good eyesight. She is now our Oracle." Chiron explained to Thalia. "Now, if you would excuse me, I believe Mr. D is waiting on a Pinochle game."

"Wait! What about Grover?" Percy blurted out.

"Oh, yes. Grover will not be arriving at camp until around noon tomorrow. Can you…" Chiron replied.

"Wait? Oh yeah, we'll wait." Percy said. I knew how much he wanted to have Grover come with us.

"Okay, so we'll leave tomorrow afternoon." I said, making that decision final.

I didn't want to talk to Rachel at all. The way she had always flirted with Percy on our quest through the Labyrinth made me want to rip her head off. And I'm not a necessarily violent person. I didn't know how I was going to put up with her for this quest. I guess I should be reassured, as she had to give up boys when she became the Oracle.

Percy looked at me and noticed that something was wrong. "Annabeth, I swear, nothing happened between me and Rachel. I like _you_."

"I know that something happened because you turned bright red when you found out she was coming." I retorted.

"Nothing that would ever take me away from you! That I can promise you." He assured me. "I always have, and always _will_, like you."

I softened my glare. "You sure?"

He nodded. "Positive."

I punched him on the arm. "Alright, Seaweed Brain."

He smiled and rolled his eyes. I laughed and gave him a quick hug before off to do the cabin inspections.

That evening, Rachel arrived just before the campfire began. She looked different. She was wearing a black wool dress and shawl. Her red-brown hair was put up in a messy bun. I thought she actually looked older. She saw me and Percy standing together, talking, and walked over.

"Hey guys!" She said, giving Percy a hug. I glared.

"What's wrong, Annabeth?" She asked. I didn't reply.

She looked at me, and then at Percy. Then something seemed to click. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She said, backing away.

I stopped glaring, kissed Percy, and said, "I'll meet you in your cabin tonight."

Rachel stared at me with wide eyes as I walked over the campfire. Percy chased after me. "Annabeth!"

I turned around and glared. "I don't want to talk right now."

He put an arm around me. "Then I'll do the talking. Are you seriously upset just because she's a girl and she's my friend? That's all that's going on! She is my _friend_. You don't see me getting upset when you dream about Luke every single night. I don't even know if I'm in that dream."

I looked into his sea green eyes. "You are. I looked."

Percy smiled and kissed me, even though about a billion people were watching, including Rachel. I pulled away and said, "Save it for the cabin, Percy."

I then walked away.

I knocked on the door of Percy's cabin. "It's Annabeth."

"Come on in." Percy's voice was muffled by the door.

I opened the door. Percy was looking at his fountain. "Annabeth, can you please try to be nice to Rachel?"

I sighed. "Okay, I can try. I'm not making any promises though."

Percy turned to look at me and smiled. "Thank you so very much."

He crept closer and closer to me until our noses were touching. "You know that I love you, Annabeth." He said, wrapping his arms around me.

"Yeah. I know." I said, as though I were in a trance.

Finally he kissed me. And this time, there weren't any interruptions.


	5. The Prophecy Said

I don't remember much of what happened, but I woke up in the middle of the night to Percy shaking me. I groaned. "What happened."

"We must've fallen asleep. You should…" He replied.

"Get back to my cabin. Bye, Percy." I said, rushing out of the cabin.

I put on my invisibility hat and snuck into my cabin and immediately fell asleep on my bunk.

The dream was back. It would haunt me forever if I didn't talk to Luke soon; I knew it. I was getting more and more desperate to see Luke. I really needed to know what this dream meant. We would be leaving as soon as we got Grover up to speed. I needed this quest.

I woke up to see that most people from my cabin were gone. Only Kalvin Brown remained. "Did I sleep in? What time is it?" I demanded.

"Yeah, you slept in. You missed breakfast. Percy was looking for you." Kalvin replied. "Oh, and Chiron wanted me to tell you that Grover's going to be here soon."

I rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes and jumped out of bed. "Where's Percy?" I asked.

"I think he was going to visit Mrs. O'Leary in the arena. I'd check there." Kalvin replied. "You were late last night."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I know. Sorry 'bout that."

"Were you with Percy?"

I looked at him, and realized he really wanted to know. "Yeah, we were in his cabin discussing a quest we're leaving for soon. I kinda fell asleep."

"Oh. Why are you going on a quest, Annabeth?" Kalvin was really talkative this morning.

"I'll tell ya when we get back. Don't worry, it's not particularly dangerous." I assured him.

"Okay. I hope you make it back safely." Kalvin said.

"I will. I promise." I smiled at him, hoping I could keep that promise.

I then walked out of the cabin and to the arena. Sure enough, Percy was playing fetch with Mrs. O'Leary, the most (and only) lovable hellhound in the world. "Hey Percy." I greeted him.

Percy turned around. "You overslept."

I rolled my eyes. "I noticed. Is Grover here yet?"

"No." He said.

Just then Mrs. O'Leary attacked him from behind with her giant pink tongue. Normally, he wouldn't get wet unless he wanted to. But I guess that didn't apply when it came to a big wet dog tongue. I burst out laughing when I saw how gross Percy looked.

"Don't you laugh!' Percy retorted and he ran towards me.

We both we laughing as he gave me a big hug and got dog slobber all over me. "Ew, gross!" I whined.

Then we both quickly ran off to our cabins to change and dry off, and then find Nico, Thalia, and (unfortunately) Rachel. We both come out of our cabins at the same, so we ran all the way to stables, our meeting place, holding hands and laughing. We got there and Nico was staring at us. "You guys are odd." He stated, which made Thalia and Rachel burst out laughing.

Percy put an arm around me and said, "Yeah, I guess we are." Which made me smile and blush.

Thalia looked at me. "You know, I heard some Athena kids say that you weren't in the cabin for lights out." She then turned to Percy. "Any ideas to where she was?"

Percy turned an unfortunate shade of red. "What's it to ya?"

Thalia and Rachel started laughing again, as did Nico. "Okay, we'll leave it alone… for now." Thalia said.

Percy was kept looking out the door. "Relax, Percy, he'll be here soon." I assured him.

"I know. I haven't seen him since last summer though." Percy sighed. He had been spending an awful lot of time with me, and Grover actually ended up searching for new demigods somewhere in Vermont.

"Well, you'll see him soon and then we can know that everyone important is safe and has not suffered through a painful death." Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

"Let's just make sure we all know what we need to do." I suggested.

"Good idea." Thalia agreed.

Nico cleared his throat. "So, we shadow travel to the Underworld…"

Suddenly Rachel doubled over and began green smoke crept out of her mouth. She spoke with a raspy voice.

_6 travel west to the land of the dead,_

_Taking the plan that is still unsaid,_

_Three demigods of the highest gods lead the way,_

_Two shall return, yet one shall stray_

_Take the right path and you will succeed,_

_One shall be lost due to their own selfish greed._

When Rachel recovered, she asked, "What in the world did I just say?"

We told her. Thalia, Percy, and Nico were glancing at each other nervously. Which of them would be lost? Would it be Nico? He often is affected when he has a grudge, and could that lead to greediness? Would it be Thalia? My best friend that I've had since I was 7 years old? Or… no, it couldn't be Percy. I wouldn't let it be Percy.

We heard the sound of hooves behind us. At first, I thought it was Chiron, until I heard that nervous laugh, that familiar voice. "Hey guys. I made it!"


	6. The Final Plan

We all turned to the door to see our dear friend Grover standing there. Thalia, Percy, and I embraced him in a huge hug. "Whoa, guys, I was only in Maine. Not dead." He yelped.

We pulled away. "Sorry. We just missed you." Percy said.

"I missed you guys too. And Nico! How are you?" Grover smiled. He was the one that found Nico and his sister, Bianca.

"I'm fine. Guys, what do we tell him?" Nico asked as if it was directed at all of us, but he was staring at me.

"Well, I think our plan is changed. I don't think shadow travel is part of the prophecy." I said, a little disappointed. I had always wanted to try shadow travel.

"Well, maybe we could use shadow travel to get back, but we're going to use the entrance in L.A." Thalia suggested.

"Yeah, I suppose that'll work." Nico agreed.

Thalia, Percy, and Nico still looked a little uneasy. I was scared for them. "Guys, everything will be fine. Remember, the prophecies often have double meaning." I tried to assure them.

Grover looked confused. "What's wrong?"

I told him what the prophecy had said. "This could be bad."

Grover bit his lip nervously. "Yeah, it could be. So we're going to have to go all the way to L.A.?"

Thalia nodded her head. "The prophecy clearly stated that we weren't going to be able to shadow travel. I don't know why, but the Oracle is always right."

Rachel nodded. "It's true. I'm always right."

Percy laughed. "Not always."

I rolled my eyes. "So we need money." I said.

"That's easy. I've got almost $500 in mortal money at my mom's apartment and I'm sure we can all scrape together enough drachmas to last us the trip." Percy told us.

"And we need a plan." Thalia said.

"We just travel until we reach the right place and hope we don't get into too much trouble." Rachel said.

Thalia looked around. "So are we ready? We can stop by Percy's apartment before we leave and maybe get a ride to somewhere."

"Where should we go then?" Nico asked.

"We'll find out when we get there, I guess." Percy shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll have Mrs. O'Leary wait for us in the Underworld. You guys go pack up your things... Annabeth, you better not forget your lip gloss. You'd disappoint Percy." Nico said. I could tell that Thalia, Rachel, and Grover were trying hard not to laugh, but they eventually failed.

"Oh shut up." I said as Percy and I turned bright red.

"Okay, we'll try not to bug you guys too much until we get back to camp." Grover promised. "Right, guys."

They murmured agreements, obviously disappointed. "How about one little tease per hour?" Nico suggested.

Percy and I looked at each other. "Fine, if it keeps you guys happy." I said, sighing.

We all then scattered to our cabins, and Percy whispered in my ear. "Pack quickly, and then meet me in my cabin."

He didn't wait to hear my response, because he knew that I would be there. I ran to my cabin to find Kalvin and a few other guys sitting in there and talking. They all looked at me when I entered, and one of them muttered, "Hey Annabeth." But I was completely ignored after that.

I grabbed my book bag and stuffed it with clothes, some ambrosia and nectar, and my invisibility cap. And if you were wondering, I did grab some lip gloss, but only because my dad had given it to me and it was my favorite flavor – strawberry kiwi.

One of the guys said, "Where you off to, Annabeth? Moving into the Poseidon cabin?"

I glared at him and Kalvin said, "Guys, back off. She's going on a top secret quest and you should shut before she has the Ares cabin beat you up."

I was surprised at this statement. Why hadn't I thought to ask the Ares cabin to beat them up before? Probably because I was nice (most of the time) and I knew the Ares cabin probably wouldn't listen.

The guys looked just about as shocked as I did. "Sorry, Annabeth. Good luck." One of them said.

"Thank you." I replied.

Then I stuffed a few more things into my bag and ran to the Poseidon cabin. I didn't feel like knocking, so I just opened up the door. Percy was searching for some golden drachmas. He looked up when he heard the door close. "Hey. Don't you knock?"

I shook my head. "Why did you want me to come?"

"I figured we wouldn't have any alone time on this quest. I figured we might as well try and get some in." He said, blushing. "Did you remember your lip gloss?"

I punched his arm. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

"I'll be right back." He said, quickly leaving the cabin. No doubt he was going to ask around for drachmas in the Hermes cabin again.

I stood in front of his saltwater fountain and looked in the water. This water meant so much to Percy. It gave him power. What kind of power did I have? I was smart. I was the official architect of Olympus. I was Percy's cute little sidekick. The gods had once offered him the gift of immortality. I had saved his life and fought just as hard as him, and what did I get?

But Percy declined, and instead had the gods pay attention to their children. My mother had actually visited me and my father over the summer, which made my step-mom really unhappy. But that day was probably the best day of my life. She even gave me a present – a brand new book on architecture, written in Ancient Greek.

I stared at the water and realized how badly I wanted to ask her about these dreams. I realized how much I had missed out, not having her in my life. I wondered if Percy had ever felt the same way, like something was missing without his dad. I wondered if every demigod felt like this.

My thoughts were interrupted when someone wrapped their arms around my waist. I whirled around to see that it was Percy. He still had his arms around me, and I noticed that his expression was somewhat sad.

"What's wrong, Annabeth? I know that something's bugging you." He said, a look of deep sympathy in his gorgeous eyes.

"It's really nothing, Percy. You don't need to worry about me." I assured him.

"I always worry about you." He said, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Don't." I said, smiling sadly.

"I'll try." He promised.

Then he did a very surprising thing. He pushed me against a wall and began to kiss me. We probably made out for at least a minute before we broke apart, his arms still around me. I put my head on his shoulder and whispered, "I love you, Percy."

He kissed the top of my head. "I love you, too. And I always will."

I just hoped he was telling the truth.


	7. Sally's Apartment

I hadn't seen Sally in a while. I still remembered that she chose to use her maiden name, Jackson, instead of being called Mrs. Blofis. I didn't blame her. Percy was happy to have a step-dad as friendly as Paul. I had always been allowed to call Percy's parents by their first names. It was just how it had always been.

But I still felt weird around them ever since me and Percy got together. I mean, sure they were nice and all, but after they found out about Percy and I, things started to get a little bit more awkward between me and them. I don't think that Percy realized it, but I could always feel it.

We were all piling into the camp van. Rachel had offered to drive. I guess she knew her way around NYC pretty well, because she very easily found the Jackson apartment. Or maybe she had been there before. We all walked up and ran inside the house. Sally and Paul were sitting in the kitchen, eating tacos. "Percy! I'm so glad you're safe!" Sally jumped up and hugged him.

"Yeah, I'm fine Mom. Sorry, we kinda left without warning." Percy apologized. The rest of us were just standing in the doorway, not saying anything.

Once Sally had stopped hugging Percy, she quickly hugged Grover. "Grover! I heard you were in Maine for the school year!"

Grover smiled. "Yeah. I didn't find any demigods, though. I'll be going back next year."

Sally shook Nico's hand. I didn't think that they had talked much. "Hello, Nico. You've grown." Sally said, smiling at the 13-year-old boy.

"Yeah, I know." Nico said, without any look of emotion. That was Nico. Emotionless, vague, mysterious Nico di Angelo.

She nodded at Rachel but didn't say a thing to her. Rachel looked away and said, "I'm going to wait out in the van." Then she left.

Sally hugged Thalia. "Thalia, dear, how've you been? I'm sure being a Huntress must be difficult."

Thalia laughed. "Not really, thanks to the whole "immortality" thing."

Sally sighed. "That's good."

She then turned to me. We made eye contact, and I could feel the tension. I really did feel like I should follow Rachel out to the van, but then Sally embraced me in a bear hug. "You take care of Percy, okay?" She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I've done it before, I'll do it again. You don't need to worry about him, though. He can take care of himself." I assured her.

She pulled out of the hug and asked Percy, "So, why did you come? I know that it's not because you wanted to say hi."

Nico cleared his throat, and we all turned to face him. "Percy needs money because we're going to the Underworld to talk to the ghost of Luke Castellan. We are in a hurry to get there and I'd like to make this fast."

Sally was shocked, but Nico really was in a hurry. I didn't know why, but I really wanted to know. "Nico's right. We should try to hurry." I agreed.

Percy grabbed my hand and dragged me to his bedroom. I realized that he had recently cleaned it. "Is something wrong, Annabeth?" He looked me in the eye and asked.

"No. I was just agreeing with Nico." I replied.

Percy looked at me, as though he was trying to decide if I was lying or telling the truth. "Alright, if you say so." He finally decided.

"You cleaned your room." I pointed out.

"Yeah. I know." He laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"You've been awfully clingy lately." I noticed.

"Is that a bad thing?" He said.

I pondered that for a moment. "No. I like it." I smiled.

He moved in just a little closer to kiss me, but his mom walked into the room. "Percy, I…" Her eyes widened. "Oh my gods, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed rushing out of the room, obviously embarrassed.

I pulled away from him and noticed her was turning bright red. "Oh. My. Gods. Please tell me that did not just happen."

I cringed. "I wish I could, Percy."

Then I quickly threw up arms around him and pulled him into a kiss. When he pulled away, he said, "What are you doing?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Why should we let your mom ruin a good moment?"

He thought about it. "We shouldn't." He decided, and then pulled me in for another kiss.

So we were sitting in Sally's kitchen, trying to work out a more detailed plan. Until Grover said something that we all should've thought of. "Why don't we just take a train as far west as we can go and play it from there?"

I smacked my forehead. "Why didn't we think of that sooner?"

Thalia shrugged. "Stress?"

Nico looked at Thalia. "I'm pretty sure it was a rhetorical question, Thalia."

Thalia gave Nico a strange look, but then looked back at me and Percy. "I like the idea, Grover. I think that'll work. Percy, do you have your money?"

Percy held up a wad of cash. "This should be enough for transportation. I hope."

"I think it is." Grover piped.

Thalia nodded. "It should last us, don't worry."

Nico sighed. "Can we please hurry?"

Sally was in the kitchen. "At least stay for lunch, dears. I'm making spaghetti."

"Did you dye it blue?' I asked. I was amazed when she said no.

So we stayed to eat, because we figured that our meals would be small and scattered. After we were all done eating, we said good bye to Paul and Sally and left the apartment. We climbed into the van, where Rachel was waiting for us. She looked somewhat angry. I didn't know why.

I guess I didn't realize how tired I was, because I laid my head on Percy's shoulder and immediately fell asleep.


	8. We Have a Snake Problem

I woke up when the van hit a huge bump. I yawned. "Where are we?"

Thalia replied, "Almost to a puny little train station in Pennsylvania."

"Why there?" I asked.

"We figured we'd travel out here as far as we could then get on a train. We don't exactly know why. It just felt right." Nico answered.

"Oh." I said, rubbing my eyes.

Percy was just staring out the window, as though he were in a trance. I shook his shoulder and he looked over at me. "Oh, hey sleepyhead."

Not even a smile. Something must be going on. I made a mental note to ask him about it on the train.

We were going pretty fast. "Hey, um, Rachel? Shouldn't you slow down a little bit?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "What are you, a cop?"

We took a really sharp left and slid into the parking lot of a dinky little train station. My eyes nearly popped out of my head as we swerved into a parking spot and Rachel slammed on the brakes. All of us were throw forward and I hit my head on the seat in front of me. "Ow." I muttered.

I got out of the car as soon as I could see straight. "It doesn't look like much." Nico stated.

He was right. We were the only people there besides the lady snoring in the ticket booth and a few snakes. "Let's just think for a minute here." Thalia said, sitting down on a rusty bench.

A lot of snakes were gathering now. "Um, guys? Do you think we might have a snake problem? Because these things are really starting to freak me out." Grover said nervously.

_At least they aren't spiders_, I thought to myself, trying to calm down.

Then I heard it. A raspy, slimy voice inside my head. _We know what you desire, Annabeth Chase. We know how to get it._

I stopped, dead cold. "Guys? We _definitely_ have a snake problem!"

And boy was I right. All the tiny little snakes began to merge together until we saw what they truly were. A giant snake with a head at each side of its scaly body. It had the feet of some sort of bird and large, leathery wings. "Amphisbaena!" Thalia gasped. Obviously she was familiar with this giant snake.

"What do we do?" Percy asked.

"Um, well, we attack?" Grover suggested.

And that's exactly what we did. We had to avoid the heads because they could easily take our heads off. I was still a little dazed because of that voice inside of head. I hadn't heard it for a while. Until…

_Annabeth. Listen to us. We know things about Percy you would never know. Secrets so dark he won't admit them to himself. We know his deepest fears. We know your deepest fears. We know everything, Annabeth, you just don't realize it. _

I couldn't move. _We know what you want and what you need. We know what you know and what you don't know. We know… We know…_

Percy pushed me just in time to stop the snake from biting me in half. "Annabeth! What the heck is wrong with you?" He yelled.

I fell to the ground, suddenly feeling very weak. I was breaking out in a cold sweat and shaking. The snake kept on going in my mind. _We know everything and nothing and anything. We don't know you yet we know your secrets…_

It stopped as soon as Thalia shot the thing with an arrow.

I was huddled on the ground, shivering and crying. I must've looked pretty pathetic, but you would be freaked out if that thing was whispering creepy thoughts in your mind. I was ninety-nine percent positive that I had gone insane.

After high five-ing each other, everyone gathered around me. Percy sat right next to me, but no one dared touch me. "Annabeth? What happened?" Thalia asked frantically.

I shook my head, unable to speak. "Annabeth, you have to talk to us." She said.

"The… the… the s-snake…" I stuttered.

"What about it?" Thalia said calmly.

"It… it t-talked to m-me." I said. "I-in my h-head."

"What did it say?" Nico asked anxiously, but I started crying and couldn't stop.

"Don't push her. Something is seriously wrong." Rachel instructed the rest of the group.

Grover took out his reed pipes and began to play a song that sounded suspiciously like Taylor Swift's _Stay Beautiful_. It really calmed me down, and soon I had stopped crying, shaking, and had returned to my normal hue. "Annabeth Chase." A voice said behind me.

We all whirled around. A guy in a jogger's suit was behind us. Percy's eyes lit up like he recognized this guy. "Hermes?" He asked.

The jogger sighed and nodded. "You couldn't let me have a little fun, Perseus?"

Percy shrugged his shoulders, and Hermes looked me in the eye. "I know what happened, Annabeth."

Then he looked at everyone else. "Might I have a word with her?"

Everyone got up and left. Hermes sat down next to me. "Annabeth, what exactly did the Amphisbaena say to you?"

"It… was saying things like "I know your secrets, but I don't know you" and creepy things like that." I replied.

"Common. Something is trying to stop you from talking to Luke. This dream may mean more than you thought Annabeth. Something might be terribly wrong." Hermes wiped off his forehead.

"What could possibly be going on? Kronos is already gone." I reminded him.

"Yes, but you won't be attacked by a two-headed snake just because someone was bored and wanted to have a little fun. Someone's out to get you." Hermes placed a hand on my shoulder. "But please, talk to Luke. Tell him… tell him his Dad says hi."

I nodded my head and noticed that there were tears in his eyes. "I… I will, Lord Hermes." I promised.

"Thank you, Annabeth. I owe you." Hermes said.

"I'll hold you to that." I said.

"Well, I think I have a way to repay you. Do you need a ride?" Hermes asked.

"Yes, but…" I started.

Hermes snapped his fingers. "Don't forget, I am the God of Travelers."

He vanished. I walked over to join my group. "Guys, I think we might have a train coming in a minute." I told them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nico questioned.

But sure enough, a train pulled up. I might be able to say appeared, it happened so fast. It was called the _Hermes Westward Express_. "Coincidence?" I asked, as we all climbed onto the small train.


	9. The Goddess that Smells like Roses

Percy and I had a little train car to ourselves. We sat together in one of the small, uncomfortable seats. We were talking and laughing about really stupid things. I loved it. I loved _him_.

"That snake sure was creepy, wasn't it?" Percy said.

I felt dizzy. I didn't want to think about that thing… about the things it said in my mind. I couldn't forget what Hermes had told me. _"This dream may mean more than you thought, Annabeth."_ Kept ringing in my head.

"Annabeth, what is going on? This quest is about more than just a dream now, isn't it?" Percy questioned.

I took a deep breath. "The snake spoke in my mind, Percy. I don't want to talk about what it said, but it was really horrifying. And Hermes…" I trailed off.

"What did Hermes want, anyways?" Percy asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Percy, you're right. This quest is about more than just that dream now. It's more. Someone – or some_thing_ – is trying to stop us from seeing Luke. I… I'm scared, Percy." I said, starting to cry again.

Percy put his arm around me protectively. "Annabeth, I swear on the River Styx…" I could hear thunder in the distance, "…that I will let myself be killed if it saves you."

I put my head on his shoulder, trying to stop crying. I wrapped my arms around him, now miserable. "I think we need to tell the others." I said.

Once everyone else was in the train car with us, I explained the situation. "But who would try and stop us from talking to Luke?" Nico asked. Like all the rest of us weren't wondering.

"We don't know. But Luke might." Thalia said. "That's probably why we need to talk to him, and why someone is trying to stop us. I have no idea what's going on."

"Neither do the rest of us." Rachel added.

We heard a crash in the back of the train. "Um, guys?" Grover said nervously. "I think something's going on."

I jumped to my feet. "I'll go check."

Percy grabbed my hand. "Annabeth…"

"I'll be fine." I assured him. "Hermes must have this train protected."

I walked to the train car where the noise came from. I almost groaned when I saw who was sitting there. _Aphrodite_. "Why are you here?" I demanded.

She smiled at me. "It's too bad I don't have the same influence on you as I did Percy."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why are you here?" I demanded once more.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "I heard about your little quest. Wanted to offer some help."

"Yeah, right. All you do is destroy people's relationships." I retorted. She was probably my second least favorite goddess.

"Fine. You've wanted to know about Percy and Rachel, right?" Aphrodite asked.

I didn't want to give into that. But it was true; I wanted to know _so badly_. "Yes." I replied, gulping.

"Look out the window." She instructed me.

I obeyed somewhat reluctantly. In the fog outside, I could see figures. Percy and Rachel, in a car, together.

"_So what'll it take to get the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh?"_ I heard Rachel ask. I was mortified, and I knew that there was still more. Percy turned bright red.

"_Um, uh…"_ He mumbled, trying to get the right words out.

Then I saw something that at first I thought had saved me. Blackjack the Pegasus and… Charles Beckendorf. I realized I was watching what had gone on before Beckendorf died. I stopped listening, but I focused on the way Rachel looked at Percy. She _did_ like him. Then I saw the worst thing ever. It actually made me want to cry. Rachel kissed Percy.

Then the picture faded. I stared out the window, hurt. "I can't believe Seaweed Brain didn't _tell_ me. He said nothing had gone on between them." I muttered.

Aphrodite gave me a sympathetic look. "Percy lied to you, Annabeth. He didn't want to say anything, so he said there wasn't anything to say." She told me.

I didn't want to believe her, but I knew that it was true. Percy _had_ lied to me. And it hurt worse than anything else. "Oh, it's okay, Annabeth. There are better boys out there for you." Aphrodite told me, smiling with her lip gloss covered lips.

"I'm going to leave now." I said, rushing out of the compartment.

I turned around to say something else, but Aphrodite disappeared with a flash of light, leaving nothing but the faint smell of roses behind.

I walked back to our compartment. Thalia looked at me. "What was going on back there? And why do I smell roses?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter."

I sat down, but not near Percy. He gave me a _what's wrong?_ look, but didn't say anything. "So, someone's trying to stop us from going on this quest. We don't know why, but it can't stop us. We need to keep going." I said, trying to summarize what was happening.

Nico nodded. "Let's just try and get there… fast."

Grover smiled nervously. "You guys are so brave."

Rachel looked around. "Meeting adjourned."


	10. A Realization, A Fight, and A Ghost

After the meeting, I went to go sit with Thalia instead of Percy. I was still kinda upset over what Aphrodite had shown me. I sat next to Thalia and sighed. Thalia gave me a concerned look. "Annabeth, what was behind that crash?"

I gulped. "Aphrodite."

Thalia suddenly looked very worried. "Is that why you don't want to sit next to Percy? What did she say?"

"She showed me…" I began to sob; it hurt so much to think about.

"What did she show you, Annabeth?" Thalia was talking in a very gentle, motherly tone.

"Percy and Rachel… kissed." I said, trying to stop crying.

"What? And Percy didn't tell you?"

"No, he didn't. He also lied to me by saying that _nothing _happened between them. I can't believe it." I sniffled.

Thalia put her hand on my shoulder. "I wonder if anyone knew other than them."

"Beckendorf was there, too." I told her. "It happened the day that Beckendorf died."

Thalia got up. "I'm going to go talk to Grover about this. Mind if I send Nico or…"

"Don't you dare send Rachel in here right now." I told her.

Thalia left the compartment, leaving me to stare out the window and sob. I barely noticed when Nico walked in. He sat on the bench across from me. "Annabeth?" He reached out to touch my shoulder.

I looked up. "Oh, hi, Nico." I said, smiling half-heartedly.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, looking sympathetic. The first sign of emotion I had seen come from him in a while.

"No. I'm fine." I lied, but he gave me such a sorry, worrisome look that I took a deep breath and said, "It's a Percy problem."

Nico looked directly into my eyes. His eyes were so deep and thoughtful. "What happened?"

"I just found out that he and Rachel have kissed before, which means that Percy has been lying to me." I said, starting to cry again.

"I can't believe he would treat you like that." Nico said sadly. "That was just plain cruel."

I nodded. "Thanks for understanding, Nico. I…"

Then Thalia and Grover walked in. Grover looked at me, looking just as miserable as me. "I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I thought Percy was better than that."

"Yeah, me too." I told him.

"You need to talk to him. Soon." Thalia told me.

"You're right. I'll go talk to him right now." I said, getting up and going to find Percy.

When I found him, he was sitting in his seat gazing out the window. "Percy?" I said, trying to sound stern and serious.

"Annabeth, what's going on? Is something wrong?" Percy asked, sounding extremely concerned.

"Why wouldn't you tell me that Rachel kissed you?" I demanded.

Percy's eyes widened. "How did you find out about that?"

"I have my ways. But I asked you a question, and I want an answer. Now." I gave him the fiercest look I could possibly muster.

"I thought that you'd get mad or something. And _I _don't like _her_. _I_ like _you_." Percy smiled and began to stoke my hair.

I slapped his hand away. "You should've told me instead of lying to me."

"I'm sorry!"

"Whatever." I snapped, rushing out of the compartment.

I went to an empty compartment and fell to the ground, sobbing. "Why, Percy?" I moaned.

I soon cried myself to sleep.

I was back in the Underworld… Listening to Luke's pathetic moans and cries. I ran through the ghosts focusing solely on finding him. And this time I succeeded. "Luke!" I called out.

Luke turned his head and looked at me. "Annabeth? Is it… really you?"

I nodded, then shook my head. "Luke, I'm dreaming. What's going on?"

Luke came closer to me. "I can't tell you. If this is a dream, we are being watched. Where are you?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "On a train coming to see you."

"So you are coming?" He asked, looking genuinely happy.

"Yes. And Luke? Can I ask you something?" I looked into his eyes. They were still as blue as ever.

"What is it?" He tried to put his hand on my shoulder, but it kind of dissolved when it came close to my living flesh.

I explained what was going on between Percy and I. "I feel as though he betrayed me, Luke."

Luke shook his head. "No, Annabeth, _I_ betrayed you. Percy loves you."

"How do I know that he loves me? He lied to me."

"To protect your feelings. And it's true that he never liked Rachel. I could see it when I saw them together. Rachel liked him, but he liked you. And that's the truth."

"You think so?" I asked, a tear falling from my eye. I had missed talking to Luke so much.

"Yeah… but… um…" Luke looked like he wanted to say something.

"What is it, Luke?" I asked.

"I'll tell you when you get here. Be careful, Annabeth. And please hurry." Luke said, and I could feel that I was waking up.

I woke up and the train came to a complete stop. I looked out the window and saw that we were in a city without civilization. We were in a ghost town.


	11. The TwoHeaded Snake Dog

Percy ran into the compartment I was in. I was sitting on the floor shaking with tears and confusion. I was pondering over what Luke had told me. _"Please hurry."_ His voice rang in my head.

"Annabeth…" Percy started, but I rushed past him, punching his nose on the way out.

I went and found Thalia. "Where are we?" I asked.

"The tracks stop here. I guess this is as far and we're going." Thalia explaining, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, we might as well get off the train. It's not like we're going anywhere. And I'm hungry." I said, finding a door to get off the train.

Thalia followed me, and we eventually got Nico and Grover as well. Rachel was already outside. "I've always wanted to visit a ghost town. But my mother is desperately afraid of the spiritual realm." She said dreamily.

Grover gulped nervously. "G-ghost town? This is almost as bad as going underground."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Relax Grover. I've met a few ghosts. They aren't all bad. In fact, most of them are pretty nice. Just confused. They don't like being dead."

"Understandable." Rachel replied. "I don't think I'd like to be dead either."

I breathed deeply. "Am I the only one who smells brownies?"

Grover also took a deep breath through his nose. "Smells more like… yeah, it's brownies. And I think I smell apple pie."

Nico smelled the air and sighed. "You forgot the fried chicken."

Percy jumped out the train. "I must be going crazy! Do I smell food?"

Rachel nodded her head, drooling. Real attractive. "Doesn't it smell good? I wanna go find it. Now."

Rachel began to run off into the town, but I grabbed her shoulder. "Are you _stupid_? We don't know these ghosts! They could be dangerous."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "What could go wro…" She stopped mid-word when we all saw the only other living creatures in the town. A little black mutt ran around the dusty road.

"Oh, poor puppy! I think it's lost!" Grover said.

"Maybe it's wearing a collar." Rachel suggested, approaching the dog.

"Or maybe it's not a lost puppy." Thalia pointed out. "In fact, it may not be a puppy at all."

Rachel looked at Thalia like she was crazy. "Then what do you think it is?"

"I don't know, maybe a two-headed Greek monster that happens to look like a dog?" I responded, watching the dog transform into exactly that. "Um, I think we have a little company."

"Oh. My. Gods." Percy said, mouth gaping.

"Well, c'mon. Let's be rid of this thing." I said, drawing my bronze knife.

We all attacked but Rachel. She had no weapon. Grover started playing a tune on his reed pipes. Blades of grass as tall as trees shot up from the ground. We ran around, trying to find a way to attack the beast from behind. When I finally found the thing and got behind it, I was mortified to find that it's tail was a snake. I found Thalia and Nico and told them about the snake tail. "This is bad." Nico said what we all had been thinking.

"We can attack it. We've taken down some of the greatest monsters in history. Some Greek dog isn't going to be our defeat." I told them. Compared to some things we had battled, this thing was like a baby. Small and weak.

Then Percy ran up to us. "Guys, the thing has a _snake_ for a tail."

"We know." Nico said, as I glared at Percy.

"And Annabeth, we need to talk." Percy said, trying to get close to me.

I moved so quickly there was no way he could see it coming. I swiped my knife so that the point was resting on his collarbone. "There isn't anything to talk about." I said quite clearly.

Thalia came up behind me. "Annabeth, I actually think that there is."

"Stay out of it, Thalia!" I snapped at her.

"You know, you're really being a jerk." Thalia yelled, stomping away. She dragged Nico along with her.

"Why is it such a big deal that Rachel kissed me?" Percy asked.

"That's not the big deal. The point was that you didn't tell me. And not only that, you told me that nothing happened." I said, my look getting fiercer. A severe rage was building inside me.

"It was all Rachel, okay? I never have, and never _will_, like her. I've always loved you, from the first time I ever saw you. I love you!" Percy said, tears streaming down his face.

I stood there, not knowing how to respond. He had said "I love you" so perfectly passionate that I thought maybe I did believe him. After a few seconds of me not responding, Percy shook his head. "Whatever. I guess you don't believe…"

I kissed him mid-sentence. I felt him wrap his arms around my neck as mine went around his back. When we broke apart I realized both of us were crying. "I'm so sorry, Percy! I totally overreacted…" I apologized.

Percy shook his head. "I should've told you that we kissed… I lied to you because I thought it was right, but it wasn't. I'm sorry."

"Just accept my apology, Seaweed Brain." I said, smiling and punching him on the arm.

Laughing, he put an arm around me. "Now, let's go find that big ugly dog."

We ran off to find the thing, only to find that while Percy and I were talking, a ghost had decided to help us defeat the two-headed dog. By distracting the two heads, we were able to overpower the snake tail and kill the thing. Or, banish it to the Underworld. But the point was, it was gone.


	12. An Apology

After thanking the ghosts for helping us, we ran from the ghost town. "We're close to the entrance." Nico told us. "Just 50, 60 miles away. We should be there by tomorrow at sundown."

"Great!" Rachel said, smiling.

Thalia didn't really smile until I sat next to Percy and allowed him to put an arm around me. Grover looked over and also started grinning. I gave them both an _I'll-tell-you-later_ look and leaned my head against Percy's shoulder. "So, I'll get to see Luke?" Thalia asked, looking very pleased.

Nico nodded. "And we'll be able to find out what those dreams mean. I'll bet you two can't wait to get rid of them."

Thalia sighed, "Oh yes!" but I stared at the flames, remembering that I talked to him in a dream.

"Is something wrong?" Percy said, lifting my chin so that I looked him in the eye.

"Well, the other night, I had this dream…" I started explaining what happened in the dream, and how I saw Luke. I left out all the conversation about me and Percy, but I think it was obvious that I would've talked to him about it. "He sounds desperate to see us. I can't wait to talk to him, like in person."

"We'll see him soon, love." Percy assured me.

Rachel raised her eyebrows at him calling me "love", but I put it aside. "So, what's the plan once we actually get there?"

"Well, I should be able to get us in pretty easy." Nico said. "I suppose we'll need to find Luke after that point."

"No, we'll just go and wait for Luke to find us." Thalia said sarcastically. "C'mon, let's get going."

"I suppose we're going to walk?" I asked.

"We'll make it." Thalia said.

The others moaned. I suppose Thalia and I were the only ones who were willing to walk. Then again, Luke was looking for _us_. "It won't be that bad." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, you'll probably just get Percy to carry you." Rachel joked.

I smiled, even if I didn't like her. That thought hadn't yet crossed my mind. "Hey, Seaweed Brain…"

"Don't even ask." Percy grinned. "I'm not carrying you."

"Aw, c'mon, Perce!" Grover winked at him.

"No." He protested.

Grover came over and picked me up, carrying me bridal-style. "Then I suppose I'll have to do."

"Hey! Put me down." I struggled playfully.

"Guys, do you want to see Luke soon?" Nico was the only one that didn't seem to be having fun at the moment.

Grover put me down and Percy came over and slipped an arm around my waist. "Let's go."

When the sun started setting, we decided that travelling at night wouldn't be worth it and we set up camp. Grover and Thalia worked on a fire, while Percy and Nico started getting some food. That left Rachel and I to set up sleeping bags. "So… How long have you and Percy been together?" She asked.

"Since his last birthday…" I sighed.

"Look, Annabeth… I know that you know about…"

"It's not a problem. You liked him, you kissed him, but now you guys are just friends. It's fine."

"No, it's not. It's obvious that you're upset about it." Rachel looked me in the eye. "Just tell me that it is bothering you."

"It bothers me, but nothing that I can do will change that it happened." I said.

"At least now I can apologize." She smiled. "Annabeth, I'm really sorry. I knew that he liked you, and I knew that you…"

"It's okay, Rachel." I interrupted.

"I just want us to be friends." She told me. "Can we?"

I sighed. "You'll have to give me some time… But I'm sure that we can be, someday, maybe soon."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry that I haven't written anything in a while.. I've been really busy! And sorry that this chapter was so short.<strong>


	13. The GreyEyed Goddess

After my conversation with Rachel, I had decided that I'd had enough social time for the night and wandered off into the darkness to be alone. I sat there, thinking. Thinking about everything that had happened so far this trip. I had so far fought 2 monsters and almost gained a new friend. Eventful.

Someone approached me from behind. I was surprised to find that it was Grover. "Hey, Annabeth!"

"Hi, Grover." I smiled. "We haven't talked in a while."

"Yeah, I know."

"We've been busy…" I trailed off.

"I'm glad everything's okay with you and Percy." He said.

"Yeah, me too."

He sat down next to me. "So what are you doing way out here?"

"Oh… just thinking." I sighed.

"About?"

I closed my eyes. "Rachel wants to be my friend."

"I see…" Grover said. "And what about you?"

"I don't know." I pursed my lips. "I just don't know what I want right now."

"I understand that feeling." He said.

"Have you seen Juniper lately?" I questioned.

"No…" He sighed. "She's been really busy."

"Oh. I'm sorry." I said, opening my eyes again.

"No, it's fine." He smiled. "I've still got you and Percy, and Thalia of course."

"Yeah… so what do you think I should do about Rachel?" I questioned.

"I don't know. I suppose that you just befriend her when you're ready to."

"Good idea…" I said, staring up at the sky.

"You miss your mom?"

"I haven't seen her in forever." I bit my lip.

"Oh…"

"Annabeth! Grover! Get over here!" Thalia called from camp.

"Coming!" I yelled back.

We walked back over to camp. I sat down next to Percy, and he put his arm around me. "Okay, so we should be in the Underworld by tomorrow night if we don't stop too much tomorrow. Do we have a plan once we get into the Underworld?" Nico asked us.

Thalia and I looked at each other. "No, no we do not." Thalia said what we both were thinking.

"Maybe we should make one." I suggested. "At least we'll have an idea of what we're doing once we get there."

"Good idea, Annabeth." Nico said. Since when was he the leader of this mission? "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"Find Luke." Percy said.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Something a little bit more detailed, Percy."

"Well, we know that Luke is in Elysium." Percy said. "We start there. It narrows it down an awful lot."

"And if he isn't there?" Grover asked.

"Then we figure it out from there." I answered. "Thank you, Percy."

He leaned over and kissed my nose.

…

The next day, we set off as soon as the sun was up. Some people (hi, Percy) grumbled about how early it was, but we still went. We didn't stop until lunch time, when we found a tiny café and decided that we were hungry. We went inside and got a table and waited for our waitress to come. She finally did, and we ordered, and it seemed like we were just a normal group of friends, getting lunch together in a normal little diner. Not a satyr, four demigods (one of which is one of Artemis's Huntresses), and an Oracle.

I'd always wished that I was normal. I wanted to have a mom and a dad that lived with me in New York. I wanted little siblings that were all _mine_ and that weren't in danger of being attacked by monsters and whatnot because of me. I wanted Percy to be my normal boyfriend that would take me to the movies and tell me really bad jokes when I was upset and hang out at my house when we were bored. I don't want us to bond over fighting monsters. It's just not _normal_. All that I want is to be a regular teenage girl in NYC.

But I can live without the normality. I've made it this far, haven't I? I'm still alive and happy, for the most part. I've got Percy, and Grover, and Thalia, and even Nico. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll be grateful to have Rachel in my life, too.

We got our food and started eating. It wasn't all that great, but food is food, so we devoured it eagerly. I didn't really say much, just allowed myself to be absorbed by my thoughts.

"Is it just me, or does our waitress look really familiar?" Thalia asked through a mouthful of cheeseburger.

I looked at her. "Yeah, she kinda does. I can't tell from where, though."

Now we were all looking at the waitress, trying to figure out where we knew her from. "She isn't a… monster, is she? I don't smell monster, but she might be…" Grover questioned nervously.

Nico shook his head. "No, not a monster. Annabeth, look at her. Closely."

I looked really close, but I couldn't tell why he expected me to know her. Rachel must've caught on.

"Yeah, Annabeth, c'mon." She persisted.

I couldn't tell. I honestly couldn't. Nico sighed. "Annabeth, she has _your eyes_."

It finally dawned on me. It was my mother. I called her over. I asked the blunt question. "I was wondering if you know me from somewhere?"

The waitress looked at me. "As a matter of fact, I think I do."

"Do you have any idea from where?"

"Yeah, I do. You six, let's go talk out back." She led us out of the café.

She smiled at me. "Annabeth! Look at you!"

I hugged her. "Mom, I've missed you…"

"And Percy." She said, a little bit more coldly. She had never really approved of me dating a Son of Poseidon, but she would get over it.

"Why are you here, Athena?" Thalia asked, bowing her head with respect.

"I needed to talk to you two. Alone." Athena looked at the other four.

They got the hint. Percy led them to the front of the café where they were out of earshot. "What's wrong, Mom?" I asked.

"I needed to give you these." Athena handed me six pearls. I recognized these. We would need them to escape the Underworld.

"But, Athena, we have Mrs. O'Leary to get us out." Thalia pointed out.

"I'm not allowed to say any more. Good luck on your quest." Athena hugged Thalia and I and left us.


	14. Nico Goes Nuts or something like that

"Well, that was odd." Thalia said after Athena disappeared.

"Yeah. I wonder what's going on." I pondered over it for a while, and then decided that we should discuss it with the others. "They'll all want to know what's going on."

Thalia nodded her head. "C'mon, let's go."

We walked to the front of the building to talk to everyone else. "Hey, guys." I greeted them.

"What was that all about?" Grover inquired.

"What, no "hi, Annabeth! How are you?"?" I joked.

"Nope. I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know." I stuck my tongue out.

"I'm not a cat. I'm a satyr." Touché.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "I swear, sometimes you guys…"

"Just trying to make something fun out of this situation." I pouted.

"Fine, fine."

"Can we get to the point?" Nico said impatiently. "We don't have that much time. It's already past noon and we wanted to make it there by sundown, right?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, seriously."

I sighed. "All she did was give us these."

I held out the pearls for everyone to examine. Rachel didn't really know what they were, but Nico recognized them immediately. "Those pearls are meant to get us out of the Underworld!"

"Yeah. What do you think this means?" I asked.

"Considering we were going to use Mrs. O'Leary to escape, I think that means something has happened to her." Nico nodded his head. "Something bad might be awaiting us in the Underworld, guys."

Percy nodded his head. "We'll have to be prepared to fight."

"Maybe we should spar some tonight and go to the Underworld tomorrow." I suggested. "I can handle the dreams one more night."

Thalia agreed. "Yeah, let's get ourselves prepared for this."

So we decided to continue walking until the sun went down, since it was obvious we weren't going to make it to the Underworld by that point. At sundown we would find a hotel if we were near civilization or set up camp if not. We would spar for a while, go to bed, and make it to the Underworld by lunch tomorrow. It was a decent plan, considering we'd gone on most quests without a good plan. Honestly, I think Percy would be dead by now if he didn't get so darn lucky.

We did walk for nearly forever until the sun finally began its beautiful descent. We were thankfully near a small town that had a rinky-dink motel that we could stay in. We got 3 rooms, with 2 people per room. We decided that since we would have to have one coed room, Thalia and Grover would share, as Thalia was a Huntress and Grover was in a relationship with a tree.

Unfortunately, this meant I was sharing a room with Rachel. I agreed with myself to be a pleasant, happy person and that I would try not to show my dislike with her too much so that we both could sleep comfortably. I guess I wasn't really mad at her anymore, considering she had apologized. But we sure weren't friends. Not yet. I'm just not ready for that yet.

Percy and Nico were sharing a room. I'd much rather share a room with one of them (preferably Percy, but Nico is nice too). Lucky me, Nico went to Thalia and Grover's room to hang out so I got to go be alone with Percy. We hadn't had any alone time since we left camp, really.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain." I smiled, knocking on the open door.

Percy looked at me, then at himself. He was sitting in only his boxers, and now he was blushing. "Um, hi."

I laughed. "Do you forget I have a dad, two half-brothers, and there are multiple boys in the Athena cabin?"

"I'd hope you don't gawk at shirtless Athena boys." Percy smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't. But it's hard to avoid glancing at."

"Whatever. Are you going to come in?"

I was still standing in the doorway. I decided to make my way over to the bed he was sitting on and sit next to him. "We haven't been alone much, have we?" I lowered my voice.

Percy got up, closed the door (why had I left it open?), and sat next to me. "No, we haven't. Just be careful, Nico is coming back eventually."

I put my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. He slipped his arm around me. We sat in silence, enjoying the moment. This felt so… natural. Like I was meant to be here, by his side. "Annabeth…" He whispered.

I opened my eyes. "Yeah?"

"What's going on between you and Rachel? I saw you guys talking last night."

I sighed. "She apologized. For, you know…"

"Oh… Anything else?"

"Can't anything be private?" I joked.

He thought about it. "No."

I smacked his stomach. Gods, that boy's got muscle. I guess you'd have to if you saved the world and whatnot, but still. "She wants us to be friends."

"What about you?"

"I'm just not ready for that. I mean, until she was the Oracle she was my competition. She may not be anymore, but there's just… still something there. Ya know?"

"You aren't jealous, are you?"

I lifted my head from his shoulder and glared at him through my stormy grey eyes. "Jealous? Me? No."

He rolled his eyes. "If you say so."

I continued glaring at him. He took the opportunity to kiss me. It wasn't a short kiss, exactly. It lasted just long enough, and it was a good enough kiss to make me want another. I got it, too, but it was shorter since Nico walked in on us during it. "Percy, it's getting la- Oops, sorry, guys!"

We broke apart, blushing slightly. Percy looks really cute when he's blushing. "No, it's fine." I said.

"I was just going to say that it's getting late and we haven't sparred at all tonight, so maybe we should…" Nico said, his pale face turning the faintest shade of pink.

Percy looked at me. "Yeah, good idea. We should probably go out back, there's some light, but not enough so that observers could… observe."

I nodded. "Go get Thalia. She'll want to join us."

* * *

><p>As soon as we were all fully dressed (Percy, unfortunately, put his shirt back on), we went out into a field behind the motel. There were a few lights in the parking lot and shining through the windows that we could see each other, but other people shouldn't be able to tell what we were all doing. We fought with each other, not hard, not to hurt or kill one another, but enough that we got the practice that we all needed. It showed that Percy hadn't done much swordfight practice while he was with his mom, even if I did tell him to. He never listens. Nico hadn't had too much practice to begin with, him being a lone wolf and staying out of trouble for the most part. Thalia was obviously practiced, with her being a Huntress and all. So Percy and Nico fought each other while Thalia and I sparred. It would've been better sparring with Nico, since we both use a knife instead of a sword, but it was alright. Thalia didn't push me too hard. "You're doing great, Annabeth. Are you sure you don't want to join Artemis?"<p>

I glanced over at Percy. "No, I don't think I could do that."

"Well, when that boy breaks your heart, you know where to go." She winked at me.

"He won't do that." I said assuredly.

"Are you positive?"

"Have you met him?" I asked.

Thalia thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, good point. He's been pretty much nuts about you since he met you."

I was glad it was dark out, because I'm sure I was blushing at this point.

I'm not sure what happened, or why it did, but a knife came flying out of seemingly nowhere. I recognized it. The knife was Nico's. "Nico! What are you doing?" Percy yelled.

Nico didn't reply. He instead went to retrieve his weapon and began to attack me. I screamed and yelled and tried to fight him off, but he knocked my knife out of my hand, just beyond my reach. He knocked me to the ground and put a pretty good cut on my face. Thalia ripped him off of me, yelling and scolding. "What the heck? Nico what in the world do you think you're doing?"

Percy picked me up off the ground. I sobbed into his shoulder, my blood and tears mixing together. He ripped his shirt and dabbed at the cut. I passed out.


End file.
